ENGLISH AND CITIZENSHIP

SERVICES

The English and Citizenship Program in the Center for Immigrant Education and Training (CIET) provides free English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses for adult English language learners who are Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) preparing to take the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization exam. This program is offered via a grant from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in partnership with Catholic Migration Services, which provides assistance for clients filling out the N-400 Application for Naturalization. ESOL services are designed to help students from low-intermediate to intermediate speaking levels to develop the English communication skills required to pass the citizenship exam and become U.S. citizens.

Classes are interactive and participatory. You will work on projects in pairs and small groups with the aid of qualified ESOL instructors to brainstorm ideas, explore solutions together, and do research in a computer lab. English lessons are contextualized around exploring such topics as U.S. history, government, geography, and the format of the exam itself. Field trips and workshops from community partners allow you to connect with cultural institutions and nonprofit organizations in order to deepen your civic engagement. You may visit local libraries and create presentations on U.S. states and presidents in order to learn English actively while making connections with the content in the naturalization exam.

Goal setting and next steps planning are included in the coursework to encourage you to create educational and career pathways, which may include high school equivalency classes, enrolling in CUNY, or entering a workforce training program.

HOW TO APPLY

The English and Citizenship Program is open to adult English language learners from the low-intermediate to intermediate levels who are Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) preparing to take the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization exam. New applicants should come to CIET in Room C-239 on the second floor of LaGuardia’s C-building to fill out a pre-application and be added to the wait list. You can also sign up for the wait list online by completing a survey.

You will then be invited to an information and pre-testing session to confirm your eligibility for the program and the most appropriate proficiency level of spoken English. You must provide a valid federal Alien Identification Number to qualify for the program.

Classes begin each semester in September, January, April and July, meeting four times a week in the evening and lasting approximately 10-12 weeks.

CONTACT US

PARTNERS

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Grant Award Number, 2016-CS-010-000016. Disclaimer: The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.